


Here, Flowers May Bloom

by YukiSkyes



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, But I honestly have a hard time thinking of them, M/M, Some Humor, or at least i hope so, there's probably more tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:40:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27488218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YukiSkyes/pseuds/YukiSkyes
Summary: “I know this is going to sound strange but do we… know each other?” Zagreus blurted out."Hey now," Sleepy said, wagging his quill at him, "if you didn't want me to read out your cause of death, you could just tell me.""No,I mean I don't remember who you are or whoIwas until you said my name."
Relationships: Thanatos & Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 40
Kudos: 526





	1. From the Blood Pool

**Author's Note:**

> An impulse write with barely any thought put into it beyond some super basic ideas for the direction I want this story to go. Considering my streak with my other multichaptered fics, I probably won’t manage to finish 8D But I’m riding with this until I run out of gas, vroom vroom.

He awoke with a gasp.

Liquid immediately flooded down his throat, and he spluttered, coughing and hacking as much from the overpowering metallic taste as his reflexive need to expel it from his lungs. He flailed as he raised himself from the water, blinking his eyes open. The water was red like blood. Perhaps it _was_ blood. He stood in a pool of it. How did he get here?

He lifted his head.

A grand hallway opened before him, its marble walls interspersed with tall, stone columns and torches placed intermittently throughout, their light dim enough to make the already yawning hall seem cavernous with the ceiling shrouded in darkness.

A long line of greenish, transparent amorphous beings (shades, his mind told him) stood along the tiled length at the end of which he could make out a wall-wide mural of some sort behind a large desk. From somewhere further in, music floated through the air.

He walked out, the blood miraculously sloughing right off of him. His bare feet made quiet sizzling noises with every step he took, and he wondered if he was supposed to get in line too. But he didn’t even know what the line was _for._ Perhaps he could ask someone, like that fellow further down the hall on a plush chaise lounge to the side. He looked different from the shades; more solid, for one.

Soft snores reached him as he approached, and he realized that the man was sleeping sitting up. Impressive. It seemed a bit rude to wake him up but Zagreus wanted answers.

“Pardon me?”

The snores broke off immediately as the previously sleeping man’s posture shot up.

“H-huh? What? Yes, welcome to—oh, it’s just you, Zagreus!” This man was quite chipper but his eyes remained half-lidded like he could fall asleep again at any time “You were so quiet, I didn’t hear you come up to me!” 

“Um, yeah.”

Zagreus. The name clicked, and he knew it was his. How could he have failed to notice he didn’t remember his own name? Actually, now that he thought about it, why can’t he remember anything about himself?

He wracked his brain for basic things like where he came from, who his parents were, and even what his favorite food could be, but each blank he came up with drove a stake of panic through him.

“Let’s see what you died from this time,” Sleepy said, humming as he looked through a piece of parchment floating in front of him on a thin wooden board.

He seemed to be familiar with him, judging by his friendly demeanor, and Zagreus tried to at least put a name to his face but no matter how hard he willed some shred of the same familiarity offered to him from the void that was his memory, he came up with nothing. For all intents and purposes, he’d never met this man before, but that couldn’t be the case.

“You’ve, uh, been staring at me quite intensely there. Something wrong?” Sleepy asked nervously.

“I know this is going to sound strange but do we… know each other?” Zagreus finally blurted out, the panic solid enough to make it a bit hard to breathe.

“Hey now,” Sleepy said, wagging his quill at him, “if you didn’t want me to read out your cause of death, you could just tell me. But honestly, it can’t be more embarrassing than death by tiny Vermin,” he giggled.

“ _No,_ ” Zagreus said with a frustrated, vehement shake of his head, “I mean I don’t remember who you are or who _I_ was until you said my name.”

Sleepy laughed.

“Okay, fine, your secret is safe with me.”

But his humor died down when he saw Zagreus didn’t share it.

“Wait… you can’t be…” He peered at him closely, and Zagreus did his best to convey through his expression just how helpless, lost, and even a little afraid he was, silently begging Sleepy to believe him.

Sleepy’s eyes widened.

“Wow, you’re serious. Um…” He glanced to his left. “Okay, do you recognize who that is?”

He pointed at the large desk at the end of the hall behind which sat an equally large man easily three or four times the size of Zagreus. He sat amidst piles of paperwork, his hand moving tirelessly across large pieces of parchment as one by one, shades walked up to him.

This man had a severe countenance about him and an air of foreboding that made some shades tremble as they approached. Zagreus couldn’t say he shared their anxiety. He just looked like a desk worker to him except… well, larger. All he felt when he looked at that man was… something. He didn’t know. It was all a tangled mess that drew knots in his chest, but he did know it wasn’t entirely pleasant.

Zagreus shook his head at Sleepy.

“Then what about him?”

Sleepy’s finger redirected towards a big, red creature—a dog, Zagreus’s mind helpfully supplied. It perked up when he turned to it, its tongues lolling out. Its six wide, eager, glowing green eyes fixed expectantly at him, its pointy ears perked, and its tail waved behind it. It was adorable. Unfortunately, aside from the sudden urge to pet it and give it belly rubs, he couldn’t remember its name or anything else about it.

Zagreus shook his head again. Sleepy gaped at him, taking a moment to gather himself before saying weakly, “Oh… you really… Oh no, oh dear…”

The dog began to whine, drawing everyone’s attention.

“What is it, Cerberus? It is not yet time for dinner,” Paper Pusher said with a hint of disapproval.

But the dog only whined louder, threatening to go into full-blown howls. Zagreus could already feel his ears aching while Sleepy gulped as he looked at the dog named Cerberus with dread.

“Uh oh… He heard us. Quick, come with me!”

He grabbed Zagreus’s wrist and yanked him. He stumbled, not expecting the kind of strength that could nearly dislocate his shoulder from such a frail-looking man.

As Zagreus tripped over his own feet trying to find his balance enough to follow Sleepy, a sudden toll resounded dully through the expansive space, reverberating through him like he was the bell that struck that toll. A flash of green light followed shortly.

“Oh no, no, no, no, _no,_ ” Sleepy groaned, slapping his forehead. “This is literally the worst time…!”

“Zagreus!”

The light receded to reveal a hooded man in dark clothing carrying a sheathed sword by his waist. In one hand was a large scythe while in the other was something glowing. Zagreus stared at it, transfixed. He felt drawn to it.

Stern features softened somewhat when he caught sight of him but his face still seemed kind of pinched. Even so, he was handsome.

“There you are. I was worried...”

His golden eyes trailed to Zagreus’s wrist and the hand wrapped around it which immediately retracted like it was burned. He then looked towards a squalling Cerberus who refused to be calmed by its master trying every conceivable method to stop its racket. Meanwhile, shades were congregating, curious about the fuss.

“What,” Hooded Man gritted out, “is happening?”

“Can we talk about this elsewhere?!”

Sleepy’s pitch reached heights even higher than the ceiling of the room they stood in.

“What’s going on?”

Another new voice echoed Hooded Man’s question as a shade with a spear in hand sprinted into the chaotic fray from the left.

“Ugh! Just come! We have to find Mom!” Sleepy said, trying to speak over the noisy background full of shouting, clamoring spectators, and doggy wails.

Hooded Man blinked.

“Mother? Why must we go find her?”

“Because…”

“Cerberus! Enough of this tantrum! This is unacceptable behavior!”

“Perhaps we should take him outside, my lord.”

“ _Because…_ ”

Cerberus cried even louder, resisting its master as he attempted to coax it away from its spot. Many covered their ears. Everyone cringed.

“BECAUSE ZAGREUS LOST HIS MEMORY!” Sleepy screamed, clutching handfuls of curly hair.

The room stilled.

Silence.

There was a clatter. A feather duster had landed in front of Zagreus’s feet.

Dozens and dozens of eyes riveted to him. Zagreus was more than ready to crawl back into the blood pool he spawned from and stay there forever.

Sleepy coughed into a fist and muttered, “Um… yeah… so, I guess I’ll leave you to it,” before attempting to whiz away, but Hooded Man caught him by the back of his quilt-like cape.

“Hrk!”

“Hypnos.” There was a severe edge in Hooded Man’s voice that made Sleepy—Hypnos—tense before sagging in defeat. “You will stay, and you will explain _what exactly you meant by that._ ”


	2. Scattered Fragments

“Once again, you never cease to astound me with the way you unfailingly make a mess of my House when you’re unsatisfied with my domain.”

Zagreus eyed the man towering over him with arms crossed and a forbidding look of impatience etched into his bearded face.

The knot in his chest rubbed hot irritation under his skin like rope burn. That was the first thing he said to him? Why did he make it sound like Zagreus landed himself with amnesia just for the express purpose of annoying him?

His mouth moved before his mind could keep up.

“Aren’t you thinking a little too much of yourself if you think I’d trade my memories just for a chance to mess up your place?”

Someone made a sharp inhale.

Paper Pusher’s eyes flashed, the red of his pupils glowing like metal from a furnace as they bore into Zagreus.

“ _Watch your tongue, boy,_ ” he growled, rumbling the walls and floor of what was apparently Zagreus’s bedroom like Paper Pusher could wring fear from even stone.

Well, Zagreus must be made of tougher stuff than stone because he remained unmoved. If anything, his irritation only flared. He stared defiantly back at Paper Pusher, waiting for him to do something with clenched fists.

A knock interrupted their tense stand-off, and the door opened to the spearman from earlier trailed by a tall, regal woman dressed in fine black even darker than Hooded Man’s.

“My lord, I have brought Lady Nyx,” the spearman said with a bow of his head.

Without breaking eye contact, Paper Pusher spat, “Good, she can take over. I am far too busy to attend to the blunders made by my son’s own foolish hands.”

He turned and strode out, brushing past the spearman and Lady Nyx and leaving a sour taste in Zagreus’s mouth.

 _That_ was his father? He wasn’t… disappointed per se but something close to it spiked with overtures of bitterness. Was it normal for a father to think so little of their own child? Something told him it wasn’t, so he tried not to let the words and actions get to him too much, but the dismissal still lodged like a stinger inside his chest. Was it normal for _them?_ How did they bear to live under the same roof then?

“Phew, for a moment there, I thought I was going to see my own name on my list!” Hypnos piped up, patting his sternum. He moved his hand across the air as he said, “Hypnos: death from heart attack,” but quelled with a nervous chuckle under Hooded Man’s withering look. “Eheh, of course, I wouldn’t do that to you, Brother.”

“We must get along swimmingly,” Zagreus commented sarcastically.

“Your relationship with your father can be rather fraught, I won’t deny,” Lady Nyx said, and her mellow, tempered voice somehow reminded him of ink and the darkness beneath the covers.

Points of light shimmered beautifully as she glided into the room to stop in front of him. She reached towards his face and cupped his cheek, prompting him to look into golden eyes the color of which was awfully familiar. Oh, they were the same gold as Hooded Man’s and Hypnos’s

“I heard of your plight, my child. You need not be afraid for we are all here to aid you.”

Her reassurance lightened him with her soothing tones and kind gesture after the disaster that was whatever went on between his apparent father and him.

“Thank you, Lady Nyx,” he said gratefully. “I can’t imagine the trouble I’m putting you all through right now.”

“Nonsense, you are like a son to me and loved by many others besides in this House. It is of no burden. You can just call me Nyx,” she said with a faint smile that gentled her otherwise strict features.

“Nyx, then,” Zagreus corrected with a nod. He leaned to the side to see around her. The spearman was still there. “And who are you lingering by the door?”

The spearman hesitated before approaching with a slight troubled frown.

“I’m Achilles, your mentor in the art of battle, though you have probably far outstripped me by now.”

“My mentor? If that’s the case, my growth could only have been possible because of your teachings in the first place,” Zagreus said.

The frown that marred his face twitched up into a faint, fond smile, chasing away a bit of the overhanging worry that shadowed his countenance.

“You flatter me, lad. It’s mainly your own efforts that carried you.” He glanced towards the doorway. “I’m afraid I must go,” he said with some reluctance. “I can’t abandon my station for too long, but if ever you have need of me, please, by any means, don’t hesitate to find me. I’ll likely be posted in the West Hall. Farewell for now.”

“Good-bye,” Zagreus bid in return as Achilles left.

He had a feeling this man meant a lot to him, and the feeling seemed to be mutual. Achilles gave off a sense of resolute assurance and evoked glittering admiration in him.

“Psst, hey, um, you… want to introduce yourself too?” came Hypnos’s whisper from behind.

Zagreus turned to see him nudging the man he called his brother who was looking to the side. Here was someone else who he felt was important to him. Every time he looked at Hooded Man, his image warmed him at his core and gave rise to the urge to tangle his fingers into his.

But before he could say anything to him, Hooded Man held up the glowing thing he had in his grasp the entire time. Resting in his palm was what looked like a tiny flower with five flame-like petals that occasionally flickered like candle fire. It immediately drew Zagreus’s attention. He didn’t feel any less drawn to it than he had when he first saw it. It was like a string pulling incessantly at the back of his mind, but he’d managed to ignore it for the most part.

“Mother, I found a piece of Zagreus’s soul in Asphodel about to be eaten by a Gorgon. Could it be related to his loss of memory?” 

“Perhaps. Memory is deeply connected with the soul, as you well know.”

“I think I can sense other similarly small pieces. This isn’t the only one,” Hooded Man said with deeply furrowed brows.

Alarm zipped through Zagreus.

“Wait, I’m missing pieces of my soul? There’s more than one? How many are there? And how did this happen?”

“I don’t know exactly how many. There’s quite a bit,” Hooded Man replied without looking at him.

Zagreus’s heart fell. Was he upset with him? Zagreus didn’t blame him. He’d be upset if he’d been forgotten too.

“Hypnos, what was the cause of death?” Nyx asked.

“Oh, yeah! With all the mayhem, I didn’t even get to read it! Let’s see here…” Hypnos summoned his list and flipped through it. “It says… natural causes?” He glanced up from the parchment with a baffled look. “It’s nothing different from any other times he died.”

“So, there’s no apparent reason why I suddenly started shedding off my soul and lost my memory?” Zagreus summarized.

“Maybe you took a dip into the Lethe?” Hypnos proposed, scratching his head. “Did you anger some Olympians and get cursed? Oh, not that you’d remember. They can be finicky from what I’ve heard, and you’ve been messing around with them a lot.”

“No, the Lethe has no power to fragment souls, and the Olympians have no domain over them. I cannot imagine anyone in our realm doing this either.” She paused as if to consider what to say before beginning slowly, “I might have a thought.”

“Mom?”

“Mother?”

Hypnos and Hooded Man sounded suddenly very concerned, but Zagreus couldn’t quite grasp why.

“It is not something that has anything substantial to support it,” Nyx sighed, the weight of it carried the words to the floor where they lay, weary and sad. “I normally wouldn’t give voice to such an uncertain thing, but by chance that it is somehow correct…”

The gravity of her tone sank the brothers to the ground and the stone growing in the pit of Zagreus’s stomach. Nyx’s gaze trapped him in their solemnity.

“It should be known that you have made it your mission to escape this Underworld and reach the surface to see your mother. However, the journey there is perilous, and you have died many times in your countless attempts. You are a god and thus cannot die but I wonder…”

Nyx lapsed into silence. Hardly anyone dared to breathe.

“I wonder if perhaps, your life isn’t meant to die so many times, if your soul could truly withstand the shock of death over and over with no apparent difficulties, whether it’s even meant to do so.”

“What you mean, Mother, is that it’s Zagreus’s repeated deaths that is responsible?”

Hooded Man’s words shook as did the rest of him when Zagreus looked over. He’d wrapped his fingers around the little glowing soul, cradling it to his chest. The raw anguish in his expression gave rise to a powerful need to wrap his arms around him. He had to dig his fingernails into his palm to prevent himself from doing so. What were they to each other, exactly?

Hypnos put a tentative hand on his shoulder, looking a little more awake now with his concern.

“But then why only Zagreus?” Hooded Man questioned almost desperately like he was grasping at anything that might prove the possibility false. “Why doesn’t Megaera experience the same problem? Or Asterius and Theseus? Or even Lord Hades?”

“That, I do not know,” Nyx replied sorrowfully. “The circumstances surrounding Zagreus has always been unique, from his birth, to his death, to his resurrection. As much as it pains me to admit, there can still be conditions arising from his unusual origins that I’m unaware of.”

Hooded Man started breathing in hard, shallow bursts. He backed away with such open pain that Zagreus reached out to him.

“Hey—”

“Thanatos—”

In a flash of green, he was gone.

“Where’d he go?” Zagreus asked worriedly, looking around even though he knew Hooded Man was already far away from here. Hypnos curled a little in on himself, cape wrapped tightly around him and head drooped downward, facing away from the remaining occupants in the room.

“Leave him be for a while,” Nyx said, closing her eyes like she was physically pained as well. “This is hard for all of us but this affects him more deeply.”

Doing his best to swallow down the strong discomfort of leaving things so fraught with heartbreak along with the memory of that face that looked like the world had just been torn apart, he turned to Nyx.

“I can’t believe it’s taken this long for me to ask but who is he? And what exactly is my relationship with him anyway?”

Nyx opened her eyes as she answered, “He is Thanatos, the God of Death and one of my sons. As for your relationship, I think that is something only you and he can define for yourselves.”

“I see… Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

He glanced around his room, at the shelves overflowing with old belongings rife with story, at the décor that displayed the personality of the one who put them up, and at the two saddened figures amongst a room steeped in that essence of who he was. There was no way he could allow that to stand even if his missing memories didn’t bother him, which it did.

It was unsettling to have so much of his life missing; not knowing people who knew him and he should know in turn, not knowing what he held dear, and not knowing anything about his own self. What kind of person was he? What sorts of deeds had he done? Did he treat others well? Was there anything he should be ashamed of? Not knowing the answers to these questions was frightening.

“I have to find my memories again—my soul, whatever it takes. After that… maybe we could figure something out about the whole shedding pieces of my soul thing.”

Nyx nodded.

“Yes, more time to figure out this out would not be remiss. I hope I am wrong in my speculations. I will inform Lord Hades of the situation and perhaps convince him to have the souls of the Underworld stand down for the duration of your search. Even so, be careful.” A note of concern entered her voice. “The Underworld is vast and ever changing, and there are inhabitants who are not within Lord Hades’s control, mainly near the surface. Some would even be brazen enough to defy his orders.

“One last word of caution. If you come across any messages from Olympus, I’d advise against receiving them. The Olympians have fickle natures and it’s hard to predict what their reaction would be to your predicament.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you,” Zagreus said, weighted with his earnest gratitude for their patience and his apology for putting them through this in the first place.

Nyx managed a smile before she left in a whisper of fabric.

Zagreus turned to Hypnos who’d straightened a bit from his curl, but he still clutched onto his cape.

“I guess I should go too. Work and all that. Can’t keep away from it,” he said, plucking at his cape and trying for his previous bubbliness but it was obvious he wasn’t feeling it, and the attempt fell flat in the air, hanging despondently between them.

“I’m sorry about all this. Are you alright?” Zagreus asked, going a little closer to him.

“You don’t have to apologize. It’s not even your fault!” Hypnos exclaimed, letting go of the cape to wave his hands before something doleful passed across his expression. “I just feel really bad for Thanatos. He’s my brother, you know? And there’s nothing I can do for him… and nothing I can do for you,” he said with a tinge of frustration.

Zagreus could sympathize with that helplessness. He need only remember the panic of discovering himself in a strange place with no memories to understand how Hypnos might feel.

“Well, I wouldn’t say there’s nothing,” he disagreed.

Hypnos’s eyes went round with tentative hope as he unconsciously leaned closer.

“Really? There’s something I can do? Like what?”

“When I first woke from that pool, I was confused and lost. I didn’t know anyone or anything, but you were the first friendly face I saw and talked to, and I’m glad for it. You took a bit of the edge off the fear I felt at discovering I don’t have any memories. Well, I mean,” Zagreus tilted his head, “I guess the chaos it created also took my mind off it too, but I think you have some good spirit, and I think we could all use good spirit right now.”

A pleased flush crept into Hypnos’s face to match the shy smile as he fiddled with his cape.

“Awww, you really think that much of me? Even though you don’t even remember me? I’m so moved! I’m… I…” He summoned his list and quill into his hand with the bright countenance Zagreus saw him first. It made him smile too. “You know what, I’ll do my best! Right now, Thanatos probably isn’t feeling up to his work, so I’m going to have to pick up the slack wherever I can!”

“That’s the way to go, and once we figure everything out, we can all go for drinks to celebrate,” Zagreus said with a smile.

“I’ll hold you to that! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got _work!_ ”

Hypnos sped out. It was a relief to see him bounce back again. 

Zagreus to poked around his room for a bit before heading into the only other entryway. He found himself in a wide, open stone courtyard, quite empty of anything save a glass cabinet sitting to the side and a skeleton at its center.

“Hey, boyo. Heard quite a commotion coming out of that there House,” the skeleton greeted. “There a party or something?”

Ah, someone else who knew him, this time a skeleton. He didn’t seem very remarkable but if he was here, there must be a reason.

“Not exactly,” Zagreus said, walking up to him. “I may have actually…”

The words died in his mouth as he caught a glimpse of a dot of wavering light behind the skeleton who noticed his fixation and said, “Oh yeah, that thing. It just appeared outta nowhere. One moment nothing was there then suddenly, boom!” he jerked his arm, “Flower.”

It was indeed a flower, or at least, what looked like a flower but was definitely a piece of Zagreus’s soul. It was tiny, maybe no bigger than his thumb.

He made his way over, bent down, and the moment his fingers brushed its petals…

_The House was quiet and empty. Where was everybody?_

_He’d woken from his nap to discover that Than, who’d fallen asleep with him, was gone. He tried but he couldn’t find him or Mother Nyx or even Hypnos. Where’d they all go?_

_He wandered through the hall, scurrying across rooms and dodging curious shades, hoping to find a hint of where his friends and mother went._

_He glimpsed black cloth, and he ran to it, but it was only a curtain. It wasn’t Mother Nyx or Thanatos. He bit his lip and scrubbed at his eyes, determined not to cry. He’ll find them. Everyone had to be somewhere. They wouldn’t just leave him._

_His search took him to edge of the Great Hall where he hesitated, peeking from behind a column._

_Normally, he’d avoid that massive desk where his father always seemed to be maybe except when Cerberus was around. Then, he’d sneak up to pet him._

_His father was a giant of a man with flaming eyes. He never smiled like Mother Nyx, and he was always angry at Zagreus for something. He never played with him, and he didn’t even seem to want him around. Zagreus didn’t get what he did to make his father hate him, but Mother Nyx said he didn’t hate him. He just had a lot of worries._

_Zagreus wasn’t so sure, but Mother Nyx was the wisest person in the Underworld (or so Than said), so he would believe her for now._

_So, normally, he’d avoid his father and his desk but right now, he was feeling a little at a loss and a lot lonely. Even Achilles didn’t seem to be around._

_“Why are you hiding over there, boy? If you have something to say, speak up.”_

_Zagreus jumped, gripping the column tighter. He was tempted to flee, but Achilles had told him fear was for the weak, and Zagreus wasn’t weak. He’d even prove it now and tell his mentor about it later._

_He took a deep breath and stepped out, forcing one foot in front of the other._

_The desk was a mountain, an insurmountable barrier. No matter how he craned his neck, he’d never see his father over it, but he did so anyway, clenching his shaking hands as he said as loudly as he dared, “I’m looking for Mother Nyx and Thanatos. Have you… seen them?”_

_He wavered towards the end. He hoped it wasn’t noticeable._

_“Nyx and Thanatos have important business to attend to, as many others in this House,” his father replied shortly with his deep voice that made Zagreus shiver a bit at the way he knew it could shake the halls._

_“Oh…” Zagreus looked down, disheartened. Than did mention that he was slowly going to start working from now on, and he knew Nyx sometimes disappeared for some reason or other. “Do you know when they’ll be back?”_

_“They’ll be back whenever they finish,” his father said with finality even Zagreus couldn’t argue against._

_Okay… He could wait. There were still lots of things he could do on his own. It just wouldn’t be as fun without someone to do them with._

_A great sigh came from above._

_“Come here, boy.”_

_Zagreus’s head shot up._

_Come? As in come closer?_

_He shuffled closer, and his father sighed again._

_“I meant, come to_ me _.”_

_Zagreus stared towards the top of the desk in bafflement. His neck started to ache._

_He’d never been allowed to approach his father directly when he was working. He’d been scolded so many times before for doing so._

_But his father probably didn’t want to hear about it, so still unsure if he’d heard wrong, he plodded around the desk until he was no longer looking at its glossy wood but the fierce face of his father instead._

_His father reached down with one hand, and for a moment, Zagreus thought he was going to squish him flat. He flinched, eyes slamming shut. Instead, he felt fingers wrap around his waist and lift him into the air._

_Zagreus opened his eyes as he was set gently onto the desk. He’d never been so high up before. He could look down at the long line of shades for once and wow, everything was so different!_

_“You may stay here until they return, but you must remain quiet,” his father said sternly from behind him. “Am I clear?”_

_Zagreus twisted around with a beam and an eager nod._

_“Good.”_

_It was the first time he’d heard satisfaction from his father. It was really nice. This was really nice._

_He spent a long time there, watching his father work; the judgements he handed down to the shades and the annoyance with some of them that made Zagreus giggle. Amazingly, his father didn’t yell at him for doing so either. The shades also had so many interesting stories to tell. He’d never been this fascinated with what his father did. He thought he even felt a little proud to be his son._

_By the time Mother Nyx returned, Zagreus was almost reluctant to abandon his spot at his father’s side._

“Hey, boyo, you done napping yet?”

Zagreus opened his eyes to a close-up of a skull peering down at him. He sat up, rubbing his head, the glimmers of glowing pride fading in his chest like the dream of a memory he saw from his youth about his father.

It must be one of his better memories of him because his instinctive feelings towards his father and their recent interaction were nothing like the gleaming thing he just remembered. 

Something complicated arose in his chest. He actually missed that closeness, however brief it was. What happened after? Did anything change between them? Surely, he couldn’t be the only one who felt a connection. What happened since? Because if they had a connection, it was clearly gone now.

Zagreus tried to shake the questions clamoring in his head and the conflicting emotions in his heart.

It was no use worrying and speculating. The only way to find answers was to find those fragments, and maybe he could piece his relationships back together the way he pieced his soul.


End file.
